Dietary Therapy - the practical Chinese way

In China, food is not just seen as a collection of nutritional components such as proteins, carbohydrates, mineral etc. Foodstuffs are understood to have an energetic nature. Foods are appreciated by the effect they have on the body. For example they may have a cooling, warming, drying or moistening effect. In Chinese dietary therapy, foods are chosen according to the type of internal imbalance. For example, if the body is running too hot, cooling foods are used, if the body has too much moisture e.g. in water retention drying foods are used. This is an oversimplification for the purpose of illustration. Inevitably, a blend of foods is used to assist the healing process.

This is a very intuitive and experiential way of appreciating diet: how do you actually feel after eating a chilli pepper or some cow’s milk? Our bodies are able to feel what the food is doing to us. If we feel our bodies are too dry then we should choose food that moistens. This takes good diet out of the realms of the academic into the area of experience. We can then tailor our diet according to personal characteristics, balancing out the effect that changes in the season has on our bodies, using food to rectify a temporary imbalance in our health or just simply choosing a diet that feels appropriate for us personally.

When you consult our clinicians, you will be asked about your diet as another way in which we can help you feel better and heal more quickly.